Canada

Second tourist dies in crash

Provincial police say a second Chinese tourist among 24 people injured in a bus crash in eastern Ontario on Monday has died.

Officers identified the woman as 57-year-old Xueying Ye of Shanghai. Police initially said in a news release that Ye was a man, but later said she was, in fact, a woman.

A tour bus carrying 37 people, including the driver, a guide and 35 Chinese tourists crashed into a rock formation by the side of Highway 401 Monday afternoon near Prescott, Ont.

Ontario Provincial Police said Tuesday that a 54-year-old Chinese man had died of injuries suffered during the crash.

Officers identified him Thursday as Changlin Xu of Jiansu, China.

OPP Const. Suzanne Runciman said three passengers are still in hospital in critical condition.

She said the cause of the crash is still unknown and that an investigation is still ongoing.

"Those types of crashes take a long time to investigate," Runciman said.

It could be months before the findings of the investigations are made public, she added.

Officials at the Chinese embassy in Canada have "made clear that the travel agency involved should shoulder its responsibility and properly take care of such matters as medical treatment and compensation for the Chinese tourists," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a press conference Tuesday.

"The Foreign Ministry and our diplomatic missions in Canada will continue to follow the development of the accident and work with relevant departments to make proper followup arrangements," Chunying added.

A manager at the Massachusetts-based Union Tour Express company said Monday he was aware one of their buses was involved in the collision, but could not provide any further information about the incident.